WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 12, 2009) Following the release of a report by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) today, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director David Foster:

“Building a clean energy economy is the quickest and most effective way to put millions of Americans back to work. And it is the best way to revitalize manufacturing in the United States, which has been hit hard by this economic recession.

“For years now, workers have seen their jobs disappear as a result of bad trade policies that have led to the loss of millions of American manufacturing jobs. These trade policies have been supported by the National Association of Manufacturers, which has shown no coherent strategy for creating manufacturing jobs during the last decade.

“Passing comprehensive clean energy and climate change legislation will create manufacturing jobs because it will spur the development and expansion of clean energy technologies and create markets for those products, the parts for which can be made in the United States. In fact, establishing a Renewable Electricity Standard of 25 percent by 2025 could create more than 850,000 manufacturing jobs if we make the parts in America. In addition, more than 150 businesses have endorsed Senator Sherrod Brown’s IMPACT legislation, which would ensure the development of long-term manufacturing capacity in the United States.

“The BlueGreen Alliance and its labor and environmental partners have come together to urge Congress to pass comprehensive clean energy and climate change legislation in 2009 because we believe that it is the best strategy for tackling our energy, climate and economic challenges—creating good jobs while protecting the environment and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.”

###

The BlueGreen Alliance is a national partnership of labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in the clean energy economy. Visit us online at www.bluegreenalliance.org.